Wire-fence machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. J. & W. FORSYTHE.

(No Model.)

WIRE FENCE MACHINE.

lfatented m1 In l;

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 2. A. J. 8v G. W. FGRSYTHE. WIRE FENCEMACHINE: No. 362,439. K PatentedMay 3, 1887.

ZY ATTOHX UNITED STATES PATENT OEricE..

ANDREV J. FORSYTHE AND GEORGE W. FORSYTHE, OF KOKOMO, INDTANA.

WIRE-FENCE MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,439, dated May 3,1887.

Application tiled March 8, 1886. Serial No. 194,4 1S. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, ANDREW J. FoRsYTHE and GEORGE W. FoEsYrHE, citizensof the United States, residing at Kokomo, 'in the county of Howard,State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWire'Fence Machines, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. A,

This invention has relation to fence machines of thatclass which areconstructed and adapted for thel purpose of twisting two or more wiresforming the strands of the fence about pickets in order to secure themto the strands, and to do this at the place where the fence is intendedto be and at the time that it is built; and the invention consists incertain features of construction hereinafter specified, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure lis aside elevation ofa machine'embodying our invention, aportion of the fence also being shown. Fig. 2is a rear elevation, and Fig. 3 is afront elevation, ofthe machine. Figais avertical section on thelinexxof Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a rear elevationof the front plate of the frame-work of the machine. Fig. 6 is anillustration of a portion of afence, some of thestrands of which areprovided with more coils in the twists-v Fig. 7 is a perspective thereofthan others. of the cap-plate of the frame-work. Fig. 8 is a det-ail inperspective of the tension device, and Fig. 9 is a perspective of one ofthe twisters. Fig. l() is a similar view of a cam-lever employed in themachine.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the tigures of the drawings.

In thisclass of machines suitable pickets, or it may be ordinary laths,are secured between the strands of the fence, which usually consist eachof two wires, by twisting said strands together between the pickets, thetwisting being made in opposite directions between succeeding pickets,the object being to remove the coiling or twisting ofthe strands infront of the machine, which are produced as the work progresses.

As illustrated herein, the machine is adapted to twist five strands,each of the twisters consisting of agear-wheel the hub of whichisprovided with apertures through which the wires are passed, and theseries of such twisters are connected togetler by intermediate gears,one of which is ruiter-geared to a similar gear upon the driving-shaftof the machine, so that when said shaft is revolved all of the twistersare revolved, in order to secure the pickets in the strands, as abovementioned.

bearings A* for the-twistersmnd with other intermediate bearings, A, forthe intermediate gears. The said plate is also provided with annularrecesses A around two successive twister-bearings, At, and the bottomvof cach recess is perforated, as at A7, for a purpose hereinafterdescribed. rIhe said plate A is also provided with an integral bracket,AS,

whichserves as a bearing for the power or driving shaft of t-he machine,and at its opposite edge it is recessed, as at A9, Fig. 5, for the morerigid attachment of an opposite drivingshaft bearing, 1*.

It will be seen from the description given that the plate A may beconveniently formed or cast in a single'piece vof iron, and that all ofthe bearings therein can in a like manner be finished by machine tools,and that the apertures through the spacing-lugs A may be convenientlydrilled.

The back plate of the machine is upon its inner face substantially plainthroughout, so that when placed upon the spacing-lugs and when thecap-piece 0,(see Fig. 7,) which may also be cast as a part of either thefront or back plate, is arranged between them, suitable bolts, C',passing through both plates, serve to bind the frame-workfirmlyinpperative position, with the twisters and intermediate gearsproperly supported for operation therein.

The rear face of the rear plate, D, is provided with integralpicket-spacing` lugs D, which are plain or otherwise finished, so thattheir faces are in a true line with each other, whereby, when eachsucceeding picket to be secured in the strand is placed against the IOO, distance maybe determined and varied by inserting the bail indiilerent holes in the brackets E. The rear plate is also provided withsimilar bearings to that of thc front plate, and at points to register`therewith and opposite the recesses A" of the front plate the said rearplate, D, is provided with slots D?, and in said slots are supportedcam-levers F, pivoted in lugs D", formed on the plate D.

A lever, G, pivoted as at G', near the bottom of the rear plate, D, andprovided with a lift ing-pawl, G, serves the purpose of lift-ing andintermittingly moving the frame-work as the building of the fenceprogresses.

rlhe twisters consist of gears H, the hubs II of which arc adapted totit the bearings A, and are provided with pairs of perforations H2 H,the former being wider apart and of larger diameter than the latter, inorder to adapt the former to receive and twist coarser wiresconstituting the fence-strand, and the latter to receive and twist finerwires.

I represents the crank for turning the driving or power shaft I of themachine, upon which is mounted a bevel-gear, I, which meshes with acompanion, I, mounted on an intermediate gear, J, of the series oftwisters and other intermediate gears J. A remova ble bracket, I',serves as one ot' the bearings for the driving-shaft I, and is securedby bolts, I5, passing into the front plate, A, the base of the bracketentering the slot A" therein.

Now, it will be observed from the description heretofore given that whenall et the twisters and intermediate gears are meshing with each other,and when the wires II, constituting the strands, are passing through thetwisters, the turning ol' the crank I will give motion to the twistersso as to coil the strands K upon cach other between the pickets, as wellas in a manner and to a certain extcntin front of the machine, as thework progresses. This ceiling or twisting is uncoiled at a subsequentoperation by turning the crank in an opposite direction. Now, when it isdesired to change the direction of the fence in regard to a verticalplane-that is', to ascend or descend a hill,the former case beingillustrated in Fig. 6--it is preferable to change the inclination of thepickets of the fence with relation to a vertical line, and this weaccomplish, as before stated, by increasing the number of coilsbetween'the pickets in the lower strands only of the fence; and tochange direction to descend the number of eoilsbetween the pickets inthe upper strands are increased. To provide for a change of thischaracter in the operation of the machine, we throw out of mesh, andtherefore out of operation, at a desired time, either the upper or thelower twisters of the machine, as desired, and we do this by thefollowing mechanism: The canrlevers F-as, for cxample, lthe upper pair,as shown in Figs. l and 4-are elevated, so that the twisters II, againstwhich they bear, are forced to the front and into the recesses A,against the tension of a spring or springs, L, which arc bent to passthrough the openings A7 in the bottoms of the recesses and to bearagainstthc front face ofthe twister. In this manner the said twister isthrown out ot mesh with thc intermediate gear, J, so that thetwistersdcpending upon thc one thrown out ol' mesh for motion remain idle, whilethe remaining twisters in the series may be operatcdby thedriving-shaft. As shown in Fig. l, the upper pair of twisters are thrownout of operation, so that the lower three twisters may be opel'- ated togive an additional number of coils to the strands passing therethrough.In a like manner the twister next below the drivingshaft may be thrownout ot' operation while the one next above may be in mesh, so that anincreased number oi' coils may bc pnt between the pickets in the lowerstrands ot the fence, whereby the upper ends of the pickets shall. beseparated farther from each other than their lower ends.

As usual in this class ot machines, tension devices are used in advanceof the machine, to control the delivery of the wire vconstituting thestrands from the spools from which they are taken. In this instance weemploy as a tension device guidingblocks, M, secured to a post or posts,lll', and having a sliding clamp, M, secured in the blocks M by means ofa bolt, M, and a hand-nut, M", for the purpose ol' drawing the block Msnugly against the wire K, so as to maintain snllicient tension thereon.

The operation of the machine will be understood from the descriptionalready given, and it is apparent that it can be used in constructingl'enccs with five or any less number of strands, three being shown inFig. 6.

le do not claim, broadly, the combination of a series of twisters withdevices adapted to throw 011e or more of the twisters out of contactwith the twister-operating mechanism.

Having thus fully described our invention and its operation, what weclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a machine of the class described, a series of twisters and a leverarranged to remove and retain one of the twisters out of contact withthe remaining twisting mechanism, plates for supporting the twisters andlever, and means for returning the removed twister into contact with anadjacent gear-substantially as specified.

2. In a machine of the class described, a

IOO

IIO

IIS

with bolt-holes, and connecting-bolts, substan` tially as specified.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of the plate A,having the recess A, provided with the bearing A4 and perforations A7,the plate D, having a similar bearing, slots D, and lugs D, the leversF, mounted in saidlugs, the springs L, and a twister, H

substantially as specified.

5. In a machine of the class described, having a system of gearingcomprising twisters,

an intermediate member of the system arranged to constantly mesh with adriving-gear, and two members of the system arranged adjacent to saidintermediate member and mounted for movement out of mesh with theremaining members ofthe system, whereby either portion of the system maybe operated while the other remains inoperative, substantially asspecified.

6. In a machine of the class described, having a system of gearingcomprising twisters, an intermediate member of the system arranged toconstantly mesh with the driving-gear, and a twisting member, of thesystem arranged above the driven gear and mounted for movement out ofmesh with said driven gear, whereby only the lower members of the systemmay be operated, substantially as specified.

7. The combination of the front plate provided with a recess for atwister and with springs arranged to bear upon the twister, with theback plate provided with cam-levers, substantially as specified.

8. The combination of the frontiplate, recessed, as at A, about thebearing A4, perforated, as at A7, in said bearing, and provided withsprings L, bent as described, and passing through said perforations, thetwisters H H', the back plate, D, slotted, as at D, and provided withlugs D3, and the levers F, mounted in said slots, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

` lus ANDREW J. +kFoRsYTHE. GEORGE W. rioRsYTHE.

Witnesses:

J. G. BLACKLIDGE, W. E. BLACKLIDGE.

